Testimony began this week in the criminal trial of Timothy Boyce, the 63-year-old former director of Delaware County Emergency Services who is accused of indecent assault, simple assault and harassment involving two women who once worked under him at the county's emergency services headquarters in Lima, Middletown. Boyce, who lives on the 700 block of Ormond Avenue in Drexel Hill, Upper Darby, faces one criminal case charging indecent assault and harassment, and a second case adding a simple assault charge, according to seed facts from the underlying court proceedings.
The trial, which began Monday and is expected to run at least through the rest of the week, marks the culmination of a saga that started in April 2024, when Boyce was removed from his position and, according to Delaware County officials, fired for gross misconduct. As Delco Times reports, the case was formally referred by Delaware County prosecutors to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General in May 2024, a move made, according to Media Patch, to avoid potential conflicts of interest and ensure impartiality since Boyce worked so closely with county law enforcement leadership.
Two Accusers, Two Timelines of Alleged Misconduct
Prosecutors allege that one of the women told the court Boyce showed her a naked picture of himself in 2018, and that in 2023 he pulled up her skirt, touched her inappropriately, and engaged in what she described as repeated sexual harassment. A second set of misdemeanor charges filed in August 2024 involved a separate subordinate, alleging inappropriate conduct spanning from 2018 through January 2024, according to details reported by CBS News.
That second accuser, who had spent two decades working as a hairstylist before beginning training at emergency services in late 2023, became Boyce's executive assistant in January 2024. She testified that she left his office on January 30, 2024, telling the court Boyce tried to kiss her and touched her inappropriately that day. She said the alleged assault happened inside Boyce's office, which she noted had no line of sight from the outside hallway and blinds drawn over its window, and she estimated the encounter lasted less than 30 seconds with no witnesses present.
Aftermath, Apology and a Return to Hairdressing
The woman testified that she called Boyce on February 4, 2024, to tell him she was quitting, and followed up two days later with a text message criticizing his actions. She said she felt violated and disgusted; Boyce reportedly responded that it was never his intention and apologized. She has since returned to hairdressing. During her testimony, Judge Stephanie Klein admonished defense attorney Andrew Edelberg for asking questions before the witness could finish answering.
Edelberg, who represents Boyce, has framed the prosecution differently, telling the court the case is about money and power and describing the charges as politically motivated. A county solicitor identified in court only as Abry countered that the two alleged victims were victims of crimes committed by the person in charge of the county's 911 system.
A 40-Year Career Before the Allegations
Boyce's defense has leaned on his record as a public servant of 40 years, including his time rescuing three children from a burning building and his retirement as deputy chief of the Upper Darby Fire Company before he became director of emergency services. Before his termination, Boyce oversaw roughly 125 department employees and coordinated dispatch and response operations across the county's 65 fire companies, 42 police departments and 31 emergency medical service providers, according to the Delaware County Daily Times.
The Delaware County Council voted unanimously on May 10, 2024, to fire Boyce, acting just days before state prosecutors formally filed the initial criminal charges, according to CBS News. County administrators had first placed him on paid administrative leave on April 26, 2024, following initial workplace complaints, two weeks before his termination, as Hoodline reported at the time. A Delaware County magisterial district judge held all of the criminal charges over for trial in September 2024 following preliminary hearing testimony from one of the complainants, per FOX 29 Philadelphia.
Civil Claims and Federal Rulings Add Pressure
Boyce's alleged conduct has spurred numerous civil lawsuits, which claim the county knew or should have known about his alleged pervasive misbehavior. Before the criminal charges were even filed, female subordinates had lodged formal workplace discrimination complaints with both the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, according to reporting cited in the case file.
In October 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Mia Perez ruled that a federal civil lawsuit brought by a former employee against Delaware County could proceed on substantive due process and Title VII claims, citing evidence of what she described as an unconstitutional custom in which supervisors repeatedly ignored sexual harassment, according to Legal Newsline. Those same federal filings alleged that emergency services personnel warned co-workers against using the restroom located across from Boyce's office because of unchecked inappropriate behavior.
The department Boyce once ran has since moved on. Delaware County Council formally appointed Gary Vinnacombe as the permanent Director of Emergency Services in May, capping a two-year leadership transition that included interim stewardship by Ed Beebe, according to WHYY. With testimony underway this week in Boyce's criminal trial, the proceedings are expected to continue offering a fuller public account of what allegedly happened inside the county's 911 command center.
